Preliminary Study of Bioelectricity Generation Using Lettuce Waste as Substrate by Microbial Fuel Cells

"Agricultural waste negatively impacts the environment and generates economic difficulties for agro-industrial companies and farmers. As a result, it is necessary for an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to managing this type of waste. Therefore, the research aimed to investigate lettuce waste as an alternative substrate to generate bioelectricity in single-chamber microbial fuel cells (scMFCs). It was possible to report voltage and electric current peaks of 0.959 ± 0.026 V and 5.697 ± 0.065 mA on the fourteenth day, values that were attained with an optimum pH of 7.867 ± 0.147 and with an electrical conductivity of 118.964 ± 8.888 mS/cm. Moreover, as time passed the values began to decline slowly. The calculated value of maximum power density was 378.145 ± 5.417 mW/cm2 whose current density was 5.965 A/cm2 , while the internal resistance reported using Ohm’s Law was 87.594 ± 6.226 Ω. Finally, it was possible to identify the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacterium (99.59%) on a molecular scale, as one of the microorganisms present in the anodic biofilm. The three microbial fuel cells were connected in series and demonstrated that they were capable of lighting an LED bulb, with a voltage of 2.18 V.

Sustainable electricity generation through apple waste

Debido al aumento de la producción de frutos para consumo y exportación se está generando grandes cantidades de residuos de los mismos frutos, ocasionando un gran problema medio ambiental, sobre todo en los países en vías de desarrollo que no cuentan con un proceso adecuado para su utilización o tratamiento. En este contexto, se presentan las celdas de combustible microbiana como una tecnología novedosa que a futuro podrían dar solución a este problema mediante la reutilización de residuos orgánicos como fuente de energía. En el presente trabajo se fabricaron celdas de combustible microbiana (CCM) a escala de laboratorio utilizando como sustrato desechos de manzana con electrodos de Zinc y Cobre. Se logró generar picos de corriente eléctrica y voltaje de 7.567 ± .0117 mA y 1.452 ± 0.023 V, los cuales operaron con una conductividad eléctrica del sustrato de 152.326 ± 4.58 mS/cm y con un pH acido en el día 16, donde se observó sus valores máximos. Se encontró una resistencia interna de aproximadamente 31.548 ± 4.871 Ω, cuya densidad de potencia fue de 466.27 ± 16.824 mW/cm2 en una densidad de corriente de de 4.424 A/cm2. Las celdas de combustible microbiana fueron conectadas en serie logrando generar un voltaje de 3.17 V lo sufiente para encender un foco LED rojo

Green Energy Generated in Single-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells Using Tomato Waste

"This research used tomato waste as a substrate (fuel) in Single Chamber-Microbial Fuel Cells (scMFC) on a small scale. The electrochemical properties were monitored, the functional groups of the substrate were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry (FTIR) and a microbiological analysis was performed on the electrodes in order to identify the microorganisms responsible for the electrochemical process. The results show voltage peaks and an electrical current of 3.647 ± 0.157 mA and 0.957 ± 0.246 V. A pH of 5.32 ± 0.26 was measured in the substrate with an electrical current conductivity of 148,701 ± 5849 mS/cm and an internal resistance (Rint) of 77. 517 ± 8.541 Ω. The maximum power density (PD) displayed was 264.72 ± 3.54 mW/cm2 at a current density (CD) of 4.388 A/cm2 . On the other hand, the FTIR spectrum showed a more intense decrease in its peaks, with the compound belonging to the phenolic groups being the most affected at 3361 cm−1 . The micrographs show the formation of a porous biofilm where molecular identification allowed the identification of two bacteria (Proteus vulgaris and Proteus vulgaris) and a yeast (Yarrowia lipolytica) with 100% identity. The data found show the potential of this waste as a source of fuel for the generation of an electric current in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, generating in the near future a mechanism for the reuse of waste in a beneficial way for farmers, communities and agro-industrial companies.

An Analysis of Global Trends from 1990 to 2022 of Microbial Fuel Cells: A Bibliometric Analysis

Microbial fuel cells have undergone several modifications since their creation, mainly due to the different substrates that can be used as fuel for the generation of electrical energy. In this research, a deep and updated analysis of the characteristics of the literature published in the Scopus database from 1990 to 30 December 2022 has been carried out, finding 7055 documents indexed. The most used keywords are microbial fuel cells, performance, and electricity generation. From 2011 to the present, 5289 article-type documents were published; the article entitled “Microbial Fuel Cells: Methodology and Technology” by Logan B. E. et al., 2006 from Pennsylvania State University, USA in the Environmental Science and Technology journal of the ACS publisher was the most cited (4496 citations). On the other hand, in recent years, Chinese universities have begun to produce and highlight a number of documents positioning in the top ten, with six universities having the greatest presence in publications and as the country with the highest number of published and indexed documents (2773) in Scopus. Research on microbial fuel cells tends to grow, with China as a leading country on the subject, written by the author Wang X. It is observed that the new cell research trends deal with the modification and fabrication of electrodes with nanomaterials in order to improve their power and reduce costs to show their viability on a larger scale

Use of Tangerine Waste as Fuel for the Generation of Electric Current

Fruit waste has increased exponentially worldwide, within which tangerine is one of those that generates a greater amount of organic waste, which is currently not fully used. On the other hand, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are presented as an opportunity to take advantage of organic waste to generate electricity, which is why the main objective of this research is to generate bioelectricity using tangerine waste as a substrate in microbial fuel cells using zinc and copper electrodes. It was possible to generate current and voltage peaks of 1.43973 ± 0.05568 mA and 1.191 ± 0.035 V on days eighteen and seventeen, respectively, operating with an optimum pH of 4.78 ± 0.46 and with electrical conductivity of the substrate of 140.07 ± 3.51 mS/cm, while the Brix degrees gradually decreased until the last day. The internal resistance determined was 65.378 ± 1.967 Ω, while the maximum power density was 475.32 ± 24.56 mW/cm2 at a current density of 5.539 A/cm2 with a peak voltage of 1024.12 ± 25.16 mV. The bacterium (Serratia fonticola) and yeasts (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) were identified in the substrate with an identity of 99.57 and 99.50%, respectively. Finally, the cells were connected in series, managing to generate 3.15 V, which allowed the turning on of a red LED light

Potential Use of Coriander Waste as Fuel for the Generation of Electric Power

The increase in the population and its need to produce food has caused the level of contamination by organic waste to increase exponentially in recent years. Innovative methods have been proposed for the use of this waste and thus to mitigate its impact. One of these is to use it as fuel in microbial fuel cells to generate electricity. This research aims to generate bioelectricity using coriander waste in microbial fuel cells. The maximum voltage and current observed were 0.882 ± 0.154 V and 2.287 ± 0.072 mA on the seventh and tenth day, respectively, these values were obtained working at an optimum operating pH of 3.9 ± 0.16 and with an electrical conductivity of 160.42 ± 4.54 mS/cm. The internal resistance observed in the cells was 75.581 ± 5.892 Ω, with a power density of 304.325 ± 16.51 mW/cm2 at 5.06 A/cm2 current density. While the intensity of the final FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) spectrum peaks decreased compared to the initial one, likewise, with a percentage of identity, it was possible to attribute 98.97, 99.39, and 100% to the species Alcaligenes faecalis, Alcaligenes faecali, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Finally, the cells were connected in series, managing to turn on an LED light (red) with the 2.61 V generated. This research provides an innovative and environmentally friendly way that companies and farmers can use to reuse their waste

Impact of Dragon Fruit Waste in Microbial Fuel Cells to Generate Friendly Electric Energy

Pollution generated by the misuse of large amounts of fruit and vegetable waste has become a major environmental and social problem for developing countries due to the absence of specialized collection centers for this type of waste. This research aims to generate electricity in an eco-friendly way using red dragon fruit (pitahaya) waste as the fuel in single-chamber microbial fuel cells on a laboratory scale using zinc and copper electrodes. It was possible to generate voltage and current peaks of 0.46 ± 0.03 V and 2.86 ± 0.07 mA, respectively, with an optimum operating pH of 4.22 ± 0.09 and an electrical conductivity of 175.86 ± 4.72 mS/cm at 8 °Brix until the tenth day of monitoring. An internal resistance of 75.58 ± 5.89 Ω was also calculated with a maximum power density of 304.33 ± 16.51 mW/cm2 at a current density of 5.06 A/cm2, while the FTIR spectra showed a decrease in the initial compounds and endings, especially at the 3331 cm−1 peaks of the O–H bonds. Finally, the yeast-like fungus Geotrichum candidum was molecularly identified (99.59%). This research will provide great opportunities for the generation of renewable energy using biomass as fuel through electronic devices with great potential to generate electricity